Oberkulm facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Oberkulm
Coat of arms
Oberkulm Location in Switzerland Show map of Switzerland Oberkulm Location in Canton of Aargau Show map of Canton of Aargau
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Aargau
District	Kulm
Area
• Total	9.41 km2 (3.63 sq mi)
Elevation	476 m (1,562 ft)
Population  (Dec 2020 )
• Total	2,776
• Density	295.01/km2 (764.1/sq mi)
Postal code	5727
Surrounded by	Dürrenäsch, Gontenschwil, Schlossrued, Schmiedrued, Unterkulm, Zetzwil

Oberkulm is a small town, also called a municipality, in Switzerland. It is located in the Kulm district, which is part of the canton of Aargau.

History of Oberkulm

Early Settlements and Roman Times

Oberkulm was first mentioned in old writings in 1045. Back then, it was called Chulenbare, and this name included both Oberkulm and its neighbor, Unterkulm. Later, in 1295, Oberkulm was mentioned by itself as Obern Chulnbe.

The very first signs of people living here go back to the 1st century BC. A Celtic gold coin was found from that time. During the Roman era, Oberkulm was home to a Roman estate, like a large farm or villa. Graves from the Alamanni people, who lived around the 1st century AD, have also been found here.

Medieval Period and Bernese Rule

In the 1200s, different powerful groups owned the village. These included the Habsburgs, Beromünster Abbey, and the Lords of Reinach.

From 1415 until 1798, Oberkulm was part of Bern. It was managed as part of the bailiwick of Lenzburg. A bailiwick was an area ruled by a local official. In 1433, Bern bought the rights for "high justice" from Austria. This meant Bern could handle serious crimes. For less serious crimes ("low justice"), the local rulers of Rued had the power since 1306. But in 1517, Bern bought these rights too.

Religious Changes and Modern Economy

The Protestant Reformation changed the religion in Oberkulm in 1528. Since then, Oberkulm has always been part of the Kulm parish, which is a church district. The main church for the parish is in Unterkulm.

In the mid-1700s, people in Oberkulm started spinning cotton and weaving fabric at home. Today, Oberkulm has many small businesses. About 60% of the people who work there have jobs in factories or other industries. Around 26% work in service jobs, like shops or offices. A special home for older people was built in Oberkulm in 1979.

Did you know that American President Herbert Hoover had family from Oberkulm? His ancestor, Johann Heinrich Huber, lived in Oberkulm before moving to Germany.

Geography of Oberkulm

Oberkulm covers an area of about 9.41 square kilometers (about 3.63 square miles). A big part of this land, about 52%, is used for farming. Forests cover about 36.1% of the area.

Around 11.7% of the land has buildings or roads on it. Only a tiny bit, about 0.1%, is made up of rivers or lakes. The rest is land that isn't used for anything.

Most of the built-up areas are homes and other buildings (6.4%). Industrial buildings take up about 1.1% of the land. Roads and other transport areas make up 3.5%.

The municipality is located in the Kulm district. It sits in the middle of the Wynental, which is the valley of the Wyna river. Oberkulm includes the main village and several smaller settlements spread out in nearby valleys.

Coat of Arms

The blazon (official description) of Oberkulm's coat of arms is "Tierced per pale Sable Argent and Azure." This means the shield is divided into three equal vertical stripes. The colors are black (Sable), silver or white (Argent), and blue (Azure).

Population and People

Oberkulm has a population of about 2,382 people (as of December 2006). In June 2009, about 18.6% of the people living in Oberkulm were from other countries. Over ten years, from 1997 to 2007, the population grew by about 4.5%.

Most people in Oberkulm speak German, about 89.4% of the population. Turkish is the second most common language (3.6%), followed by Albanian (1.6%).

Age Groups

Here's a look at the age groups in Oberkulm (as of 2008):

• Children aged 0-9: 10.4% (246 children)
• Teenagers aged 10-19: 14.7% (348 teenagers)
• Young adults aged 20-29: 11.8% (280 people)
• Adults aged 30-39: 12.7% (302 people)
• Adults aged 40-49: 16.3% (386 people)
• Adults aged 50-59: 13.9% (331 people)
• Seniors aged 60-69: 9.3% (221 people)
• Seniors aged 70-79: 7.2% (170 people)
• Seniors aged 80-89: 3.1% (73 people)
• Seniors aged 90 and older: 0.7% (17 people)

Homes and Households

In 2000, the average number of people per living room was 0.58. This is similar to the average for the whole canton. A "room" here means a space in a home that is at least 4 square meters (about 43 square feet). This includes bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms, kitchens, and usable basements or attics.

About 60.1% of the homes were owned by the people living in them. This means they didn't pay rent, though they might have a mortgage (a loan to buy the home).

In 2000, there were 826 private homes and apartments in Oberkulm. The average household had 2.6 people. In 2008, 489 homes were single-family houses, which was about 50.7% of all homes. Only 5 apartments were empty, meaning a very low vacancy rate of 0.5%. In 2007, about 7.6 new homes were built for every 1000 residents.

Politics and Education

In the 2007 federal election, the most popular political party was the SVP, which got 48.6% of the votes. Other popular parties were the SP (13.7%), the FDP (13.2%), and the CVP (5.8%).

About 69.6% of adults in Oberkulm (aged 25-64) have finished high school or gone on to higher education, like a university. In the 2008/2009 school year, 201 students attended primary school in Oberkulm. There were also 79 students attending secondary school in the municipality.

Historical Population

Here's how the population of Oberkulm has changed over time:

Important Heritage Sites

The Kornspeicher (a granary, which is a building for storing grain) at Im Obersteg 106 is a very important building. It is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance. This means it's a special place protected for its historical or cultural importance.

Economy

In 2007, Oberkulm had a low unemployment rate of 1.67%. This means most people who wanted jobs had them.

In 2005, there were 108 people working in the primary economic sector. This sector includes jobs like farming. There were about 40 businesses in this area.

The secondary sector employed 466 people across 27 businesses. This sector includes manufacturing and construction.

The tertiary sector had 202 people working in 51 businesses. This sector includes services like shops, healthcare, and education.

In 2000, 1,125 workers lived in Oberkulm. About 73.3% of these residents worked outside of Oberkulm. However, 426 people came into Oberkulm for work. There were a total of 726 jobs in the municipality. About 12.6% of workers used public transportation to get to work, while 51.2% used a private car.

Religion

Based on the 2000 census, most people in Oberkulm belonged to one of two main Christian groups:

• 16.7% (377 people) were Roman Catholic.
• 62.3% (1,404 people) belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church.

There was also 1 person who belonged to the Christian Catholic faith.

Images for kids

• 

  Aerial view of Oberkulm in 1965

See also

In Spanish: Oberkulm para niños